TY - JOUR
T1 - Responses to Coronavirus Pandemic in Early Childhood Services Across Five Countries in the Asia-Pacific Region
T2 - OMEP Policy Forum
AU - Park, Eunhye
AU - Logan, Helen
AU - Zhang, Li
AU - Kamigaichi, Nobuko
AU - Kulapichitr, Udomluck
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V. part of Springer Nature.
PY - 2020/12
Y1 - 2020/12
N2 - The rapid spread of the coronavirus virus (COVID-19) has been responsible for massive global impacts on the lives of children, families and communities. It is important to document these effects for the Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) sector. This report focuses on the Asia-Pacific region and ECEC sector, given limited regional studies on the impact of COVID-19 on early childhood education. It draws attention to the effects of the pandemic across five member countries of the Organisation Mondiale pour l’ Education Préscolaire (OMEP)—Australia, China, Japan, Korea and Thailand. The authors describe initial responses to control the spread of the pandemic in each national context and identify socio-political factors that enable broad understandings of national responses to COVID-19. In relation to the ECEC sector, responses are discussed in terms of cultural differences, economic issues, educational and professional concerns and educator wellbeing. While important government actions have rightly focused on virus suppression, it also remains important to maintain attention on the rights of children to ensure that the health crisis does not also become a child’s rights crisis and that sufficient attention is given to children’s safety and wellbeing.
AB - The rapid spread of the coronavirus virus (COVID-19) has been responsible for massive global impacts on the lives of children, families and communities. It is important to document these effects for the Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) sector. This report focuses on the Asia-Pacific region and ECEC sector, given limited regional studies on the impact of COVID-19 on early childhood education. It draws attention to the effects of the pandemic across five member countries of the Organisation Mondiale pour l’ Education Préscolaire (OMEP)—Australia, China, Japan, Korea and Thailand. The authors describe initial responses to control the spread of the pandemic in each national context and identify socio-political factors that enable broad understandings of national responses to COVID-19. In relation to the ECEC sector, responses are discussed in terms of cultural differences, economic issues, educational and professional concerns and educator wellbeing. While important government actions have rightly focused on virus suppression, it also remains important to maintain attention on the rights of children to ensure that the health crisis does not also become a child’s rights crisis and that sufficient attention is given to children’s safety and wellbeing.
KW - COVID-19
KW - Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) sector
KW - Economic policies
KW - Educator wellbeing
KW - Family support
KW - Pandemic
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85099823625&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s13158-020-00278-0
DO - 10.1007/s13158-020-00278-0
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85099823625
SN - 0020-7187
VL - 52
SP - 249
EP - 266
JO - International Journal of Early Childhood
JF - International Journal of Early Childhood
IS - 3
ER -